To Days of Celebration: Summer 2019
by bamboo72498
Summary: Word-prompted one shots centered around summer, staring our favorite team of Squints and their families. Written for the Bonesology Summer 2019 challenge.
1. Voyage

**A/N: Happy Summer, my nerds! Here we are again, another fun summer challenge. Thank you Ryn for putting this together. This time, I've decided to go with challenge 1A, though there may be a special bonus chapter or two up my sleeve coming this summer. **

**Enjoy!**

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_"See the line where the sky meets the sea? It calls me! And no one knows how far it goes!"_

That stupid song. That stupid song and the stupid movie it comes from is going to drive him crazy. Seriously: he will end up in a loonie bin, and not the good kind either. It's been on a near constant loop in their house for almost a month and Booth curses getting the digital copy. At least with a physical copy, the chances of the DVD wearing out from excessive use were almost certain. With the digital version, however, there was absolutely no chance of it ever breaking. Sure, the movie was great the first five times, he'll even give it ten times, Hank watched it. But once they got into the high double digits, the film lost its appeal.

Christine and Michael Vincent had watched it during one of their sleepovers, and in true little brother fashion, Hank had sat in on it and immediately fell in love. It's all the little boy wants to watch, and he doesn't get much TV time.

Brennan has learned to tune it out, explaining it away as a simple hyper fixation associated with normal childhood development ('it's just a phase'), and Christine sings right along with her brother, but also can tune it out like her mom.

"Alright, Hank: we have to turn the movie off now," Booth tells his son, grabbing the remote.

"No! Moana no done!" Hank protests, jumping up from his seated position on the floor, rushing over to stop his dad.

"We have to turn it off, bud. It's almost time for dinner," Booth tells him. And if I have to hear that song one more time, I'll throw this TV out the window, he thinks.

"No! No done!" Hank cries again, his lips pouting.

"I'm sorry, Tiger. Mommy and Christine will be home soon and then we're gonna eat. You can finish it after dinner." Compromise was usually a good tactic with his kids.

"No later. Moana now!" Hank says, stomping his foot.

"Alright, that's it. I tried to give you a choice, Hank, but with this attitude you're not going to watch Moana for the rest of the night," Booth says, turning off the move.

"No! Moana! Moana!" Hank says, crying, a full-blown tantrum starting.

"Hank, take a breath. It's gonna be okay," Booth tries, getting down to his son's level, trying to calm him down. Little kids threw fits, he knew that, but this was just silly.

"No! Moana! My Moana!" Hank's still crying, the tantrum escalating.

"Tiger, it's just a movie. You can watch it tomorrow."

"Daddy! My Moana!" Hank just wanted his dad to understand. Booth just wanted his son to calm down so they could talk like normal people.

"Okay," Booth concedes, picking his son up and carrying him to his room. "You hang out here until you've calmed down a bit, okay?" he says, setting Hank onto his bed and leaving the room, closing the door just as the boy lets out an ear-piercing screech.

Booth goes back into the kitchen, Hank's muffled fit can still be heard, and starts to prepare dinner. He feels kind of bad; he hates sending any of his kids to their rooms, but he knows it was necessary. A while later, Brennan and Christine arrive home; the former from a slightly late night at work, and the later from After School care.

"There they are! My two favorite girls!" Booth smiles at them as they take off their shoes and drop their bags onto chairs.

"Hi, Daddy!" Christine happily cheers, rushing to him for a hug.

"Hey, Monkey! Good day at school?"

"Yup! I moved up a level in spelling, and I won four square at recess!"

"That's my girl!" Booth cheers, fist-bumping Christine. "And hello to you too," he says, turning to Brennan and kissing her. "How was your day?"

"Well, I did not move up a level in spelling," Brennan jokes. "But I did identify artifacts possibly dating back to Mesopotamia!"

"That's my girl!" Booth says, though instead of a fist-bump, he gives his wife another kiss. "Dinner will be ready soon, so go get changed. Christine: take your shoes to your room, please."

The young girl obeys, running for her room, pick sneakers in her hands. Brennan follows, her navy blazer hung over her arm.

"Where's Hank?" she asks, noticing the missing child that would be hanging off of her by now.

"In his room taking a time-out," Booth replies. "I turned off his movie and he threw a fit, so I put him in there until he was ready."

"Oh, well, I'll go talk to him. Perhaps he's calmed down enough now to talk to you."

Christine returns from her room changed out of school clothes and into pajamas and helps her dad set the table chatting the whole time about her friends and trading snacks and about a crush her friend Emma has.

"Emma is far too young to be having any romantic feelings for anyone," Brennan says, agreeing with her husband, having heard the tail end of his comment. She's changed as well and has a Moana jammie-clad Hank set on her hip.

"Mommy, it's just a crush. We're not gonna get married," Christine replies with a roll of her eyes.

"I hope not! You're not getting married until you're thirty," Booth says, dishing everyone plates of food. "Go sit down," He tells his daughter.

"Booth, I think Hank has something to tell you," Brennan starts, bouncing their son to prompt him to talk.

"I sorry, Daddy," Hank says, looking down at his toes. The boy looked truly remorseful, and Booth really couldn't stay mad at him.

"It's alright, Tiger," Booth says, rounding the counter, and setting plates down at their respective places. He takes Hank from Brennan and hugs him close. "I'd get mad too if I had to turn my favorite show off. Tell you what, after dinner how about we finish that movie, huh? Sound good?"

"Yea! Moana!" Hank cheers.

Booth laughs and sets him in his booster seat, buckling him in as he continues. "But you have to eat your dinner, okay?"

"Okay," Hank says, taking his fork and digging into the meal.

The parents smile at each other; sure Booth had gone back on his punishment, but it was one of the first times Hank hand been punished. It wouldn't hurt just this once. Soon, everyone is eating, the conversation turning back to Christine's class and crushes. After dinner had been cleaned up, Christine taking the role of clearing the table while her parents lead the dishwasher and put away leftovers, Hank's constant chanting of "Moana!" leads them into the living room to finish the film before bed.

The family snuggles onto the couch together: Christine sitting herself between her parents, and Hank lays back against his dad's chest. Booth had paused it in the middle of a song, so he starts it over, listening to Hank sing along. Christine, for her part, recites every line with the best acting skills she can muster and joins her brother in singing along.

Further into the movie, Booth catches himself singing too. He tries really hard not to, especially when Brennan hears him and he catches her looking at him.

"What can I say except 'You're welcome'?" Booth sings.

Everyone turns to look at him; the kids smiling and bewildered, Brennan in love, curious, and slightly turned on.

Maybe the loonie bin can be put on hold for just a while longer.


	2. Camp

**A/N: Summer camp was always my favorite part of summer break. Getting to be with my friends, sing songs, and participate in traditions that anyone outside the camp wouldn't understand; it was great. This chapter is a future look at the camp I set up in my story from last summer. And is largely inspired by a camp I've fallen in love with in Maine. Hope you all enjoy!**

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Christine followed the rest of her cabin into the Activities Center. The bleachers were set up, which meant an 'All Camp' assembly. The Senior 2's headed straight back to their seats, all twenty-two of them decked out in spirit gear. They, unlike the new and younger kids, knew how special this night was going to be. A few other cabins were already there, sitting in their age groups, and Forky and Chankla were leading them in a repeat song. Christine noted that the Mini-Camp kids were missing, she remembered back to her summer as a Mini-Camper, and hoped they were off doing something fun like playing games in Fairyland or making ice cream.

The seniors joined in with their fellow campers, yelling out the lyrics to a song they know very well.

"Let's build a bungalow big enough for two! Big enough for two, my darlin'. Big enough for two. Whoa, whoa, whoa, when we get married, happy we'll be. Under the bamboo, under the bamboo tree! If you'll me M-I-N-E mine, I'll be T-H-I-N-E thine. And I'll L-O-V-E love you all the T-I-M-E time. You are the B-E-S-T best, of all the R-E-S-T rest and I will L-O-V-E love you all the T-I-M-E time. Rack 'em up, stack 'em up, an 'ole time. Cows in the barnyard: Moo! Moo! Kisses in the moonlight: Whoo Whoo! Matches in a gas tank: Boom! Boom! Trees in the forest: Stand tall! Potatoes in the garden: Po-tay-toe!"

The added last lines earn the Seniors glares from the counselors, which sends them into peals of laughter. "Don't listen to them, those aren't the words," Forky tells the younger girls, who are just as giggly as their older peers.

"Yes they are!" Jazmine yells back. Christine laughs at her friend's rebuttal. Jazz has always been loud and outspoken; it's what Christine loves about her.

"Alright, enough out of you lot!" Forky yells back at them in her thick New Zealand accent.

By the time the counselors finish scolding the Seniors, the other age groups are starting to arrive. They get through another couple songs before every camper is in attendance, sitting with their age groups with the counselors scattered anywhere they could find a spot, and eagerly waiting for the assembly to start

All Rosie has to do to get her camper's attention when she came out onto the stage was raise her hand in the air and wait. She'd been camp director for nearly two decades and knew how to command respect. Not only that, but she'd been made the unofficial 'Camp Mom' by all the girls, and was loved on by them all summer.

"Welcome to the third night of camp, everyone!" Rosie starts, scanning the room at all her girls. "I'm sure you're all enjoying getting reacquainted with your cabinmates, or getting to know them; whatever the case may be. Tonight is a very special All Camp. Tonight we find out who the captains will be for our color war teams. Now, for those of you who don't know: Color War has been a camp tradition since we first opened way back in 1927. At the time, my great granddaddy, Papaw Joe-"

"We love you, Papaw Joe!" The older girls cheer right on cue; the newest group of Juniors have no idea what it going on.

Rosie continues with her story, explaining the history of Color War at the camp; that it was a friendly competition between the two teams, the Cubs in blue, and the Tigers gold, in various events, games, and activities, and that it was mostly to build camp spirit and get the older girls working with the younger ones. Every activity earned the respective winning team points, and the team with the most points at the end of the summer would win the Color War Cup.

"Now," she says, "our Senior 2's have been eagerly waiting for this announcement, so I'm not going to make them wait any longer." The excited-nervous chatter from the back of the room makes Rosie pause just a moment longer. "The captain of the Cubs is Mori Page!"

The room filled with noise as the eldest girls screamed for their friend. As the tiny, brown-haired girl dashed up to the stage, her age-group screamed "Chickie-Boom, Chickie-Bummer, Mori!", while the rest of the camp echoed with "Sis-Boomity Hoo-Rah, Mori!"

Rosie waited until the noise died down before continuing. "And the co-captain for the Eagles is Jackie Bonzali!" More screaming from the Seniors ensued, and Jackie, dark-haired with deep brown skin, ran up on stage and hugged her friend and co-captain.

Christine gripped her friends' hands tightly. She was so excited and nervous. She loved every single girl in her age group, as if they were her sisters, and she knew that this was their very last captains announcement night they would ever get. She was savoring every single second.

"The captain for the Tigers is Christine Booth!"

The room fell silent. Christine couldn't hear a thing, she could feel her friends touching her and hugging her, and the pressure in her ears of everyone screaming, but she couldn't hear a thing. She was captain. She. Christine. She was so elated and in disbelief. Was this even real? Somehow she ended up on stage and hugging Jacki and Mori, and that's when her hearing returned.

"And, finally, the co-captain for the Tigers is Emma Hughes!" Christine's jaw dropped as she looked to the back of her room at her best friend. Emma. Oh my gosh!

Sure, Christine loved all her camp sisters, but she and Emma had been through it all together. From facing playground bullies in first grade, to navigating the terrors of middle school, and the insanity of high school. They had seen things and stayed true friends the entire time. Sure, they fought, but it always ended in a good talk and a hug.

Emma ran as fast as she could up onto the stage and tackle hugged Christine, both girls already crying. Soon, their own hug was joined by the rest of their age group, ending in a mound of limbs, screams and tears.

"Chickie-Boom Chickie-Bummer, Senior Two's!"

"Sis-Boomity Hoo-Rah, Senior Two's!"

[][]

Once the rest of the camp was released back to their cabins, Rosie led the four captains back to the office and let them use the phone to call home. Christine let Emma go before her, and held her friend's hand as she talked to her mom. Emma was so excited; her older sister, Sophie, had been team captain her last summer too. And since Emma was the last kid in her family to go through the camp, it was wonderful that both girls got to be captains.

"I love you too," Emma says, wrapping up her call. "I will. See you soon. Bye!" Emma hangs up the phone and turns to Christine, still wide-eyed and close to tears. "Oh my God!"

"I know," Christine replies, hugging her friend again. They switch places, and Christine holds the phone to her ear as it rings. "Dad? Hi!"

_"Christine! Hey, baby! How are you?"_

"I'm good."

_"Have the bugs eaten you alive yet?"_

"No, not yet. But there's still time." She can hear her mom on the other end of the call, asking who is on the phone. Her dad explains that it was their daughter calling from camp and changes the phone to speaker mode.

_"Christine! Hello, sweetheart!"_

"Hey, momma!"

_"How are you? Are you enjoying camp so far?"_ Brennan asks, taking over the call.

"Yes! It's been great! That's actually why I'm calling," normally they aren't allowed to call until Sunday. "Guess who just became captain of the Tiger team this summer?"

_"Ha! No way! That's my girl!"_ Booth shouts, and Christine can picture him punching the air in happiness.

_"That is very wonderful news,_" Brennan agrees._ "You are going to do very well in this leadership role."_

"Thanks, mom," Christine says, rolling her eyes a bit. "Oh! And guess who is my co-captain?"

_"Who?"_ Both her parents ask, not wanting to play the guessing game.

"Emma!"

_"Hey! That's great! You two are gonna be the best captains,"_ Booth says.

"My dad says 'congrats'," Christine relays to her friend. "She said 'thank you'. Yeah, it's pretty crazy! I'm really excited!"

_"We're excited for you,"_ Brennan says. _"I cannot wait to see you on visitation day and see you lead your team."_

"Yes! I'm excited too! Okay, I have to go. I love you."

_"We love you too. We can't wait to see you in a few weeks. We'll be cheering for you from home,"_ Booth says. _"We love you, Monkey."_

"Love you too. Bye." She hangs up and, along with her three fellow Seniors, heads back to her cabin.

[][]

The next day during lunch, the two captains announced their teams. Mori went first, standing on a table, and rattled off the list of kids on her team, listening to them squeal and cheer as their name was called. The younger girls were particularly excited to be included in the fanfare and were even happier when friends from their cabin ended up on their team.

With one final "Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah, Cubs!" Mori jumped off the table and traded places with Christine.

"Alright, Tiger team! Juliette Acevedo, Callie Brookfield, Piper Brookfield, Angela Cooper-" the list went on and on. Finally, after the final name had been called, Christine looked up and shouted "Sis-Boom-Bah! Tigers, Rah!"

And with that, Color War officially started.


End file.
